Glitter Gets Everywhere

March 15, 2021
Losing your beloved Mum to cancer has to be one of the worst things in the world to happen to a child, but 10-year-old Kitty finds her own way of coping with this terrible loss. Kitty lives in the upscale Hampstead borough of London with her older sister, Imogen; her father; and her cat, Cleo. Her beloved Gran is close by, and her godmother provides support, food, and wisdom for the bereft and grieving family. Going back to school is particularly tough, however. Everything reminds Kitty of her mother, and she feels lethargic and dejected. As Gran says, comparing grief to glitter, "If you throw a handful of glitter in the air, even if you try your very best to clean it up, you'll never get it all. I keep finding glitter tucked into unexpected corners. I suppose it will always be there." When her father's work responsibilities bring a chance to spend some time living in New York City, Kitty is resistant. At Dad's insistence, they go, however, and the family learns the language and customs of this new place. Kitty ultimately comes to realize that memories of her mother are the glitter that will be with her wherever she goes. The heart-rending topic; the well-drawn family relationships; and Kitty's brave, honest, and often funny responses to her tragedy are the soul of this book. All characters present White. Heartfelt and comforting. (Fiction. 8-12)

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April 1, 2021
Grades 5-7 *Starred Review* After recalling her mother's funeral in sharp detail, Kitty chronicles the year beginning with her eleventh birthday. Living in London with her father and sister, Imogen, she deals with her grief as best she can, despite missing Mum in so many ways. When Dad announces that he and his daughters will be spending several months in New York City, Imogen is thrilled, while Kitty is stubbornly reluctant. Starting at a new school that September is hard, but after befriending a classmate who is dealing with his parents' divorce, her outlook gradually begins to shift. After the family returns to London, a twelfth-birthday letter from Mum, written before her death, poignantly affirms Kitty's new direction. The tightly focused scenes at the funeral and wake introduce many of the characters while endearing readers to Kitty as an observer with keen awareness of events and people. The well-drawn characters are distinctive individuals who see things from different points of view and don't always get along. Sometimes sounding more sophisticated than Kitty's age would suggest, the narrative engages readers with its well-paced story and articulate portrayal of emotions. Clark portrays Kitty and her circle of family and friends with perception, wit, and finesse in this absorbing first novel.

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May 1, 2021

Gr 5-8-When your world comes tumbling down, the last thing you want to do is change what's left. Unfortunately for Kitty, that's just what's happening to her. After she loses her mother to cancer, her father gets an opportunity to work in New York City for a short time. Kitty tries to fight it, even, in one hilarious sequence, creating a slideshow of pigeons getting into a subway car to dissuade her pigeon-fearing father. Nevertheless, they go to New York for one semester. Both Kitty and her sister, Imogen, see therapists in New York to deal with their grief; Clark offers a solid depiction of therapy as positive and sometimes necessary. Throughout, Kitty deals with her grief openly and honestly, doing her best to work through it. When describing her grief and the world around her, the precocious 10-year-old uses lyrical language that can seem\\ too mature for her years. Readers from New York City and London will delight in the descriptors for both cities, including a plot point involving The Great British Baking Show (as Americans call it). Few descriptors are given for Kitty and other characters, besides hair; most characters seem to be cued as white. VERDICT A touching story of grief and change; a strong realistic fiction purchase.-Kerri Williams, Center Moriches Free P.L., NY

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